Real Miracles, Divine Intervention, and Feats of Incredible Survival

Sherry Hansen Steiger, Brad Steiger

Description

Lightning strikes, lotteries, and Lourdes—miracles really do happen. This inspirational collection provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of unexplained phenomena and survival against overwhelming odds.

Extraordinary stories of endurance, survival, heroism, and achievement highlighting the human spirit are gathered together in Real Miracles, Divine Intervention, and Feats of Incredible Survival. You’ll learn about angelic interventions, surviving airplane crashes and cataclysmic natural disasters, medical miracles, amazing sea rescues, miracles on the highway, near-death experiences, incredibly brave pets, and life-saving heroics.

This remarkable compilation gathers 263 thought-provoking stories and true tales of people overcoming incredible odds. The book will provide an antidote to anyone who suffers from doubt, disbelief, cynicism, and a fear that they walk unnoticed and alone on their life path. Astonishing stories of resilient people overcoming incredible odds to survive the unthinkable can only inspire hope!

A skydiver plummets 4,000 feet and suffers only a cut over the left eye.

A mother and her children ride out a tornado atop an airborne mattress.

A group of dolphins rescues a swimmer from a shark attack.

A 16-year old survives a lightning strike and goes on to win the lottery.

A bump to the head cures 53 years of sightlessness.

And many, many more astonishing stories of resilient people!

Sujets

• Inspirational
• Unexplained Phenomena
• Body (disambiguation)

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578592746
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

A BOUT THE A UTHORS

F or five decades, award-winning writer Brad Steiger has been devoted to exploring and examining unusual, hidden, secret, and otherwise strange occurrences. A former high school teacher and college instructor, Brad published his first articles on the unexplained in 1956. Since then he has written more than 2,000 articles with paranormal themes. He is author or coauthor of more than 170 titles, including Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places; The Werewolf Book; Mysteries of Time and Space; and Revelation: The Divine Fire.
An expert on health and healing, spirituality, and the paranormal, Sherry Steiger has numerous magazine articles to her credit and has authored or coauthored more than 40 books, including Conspiracies and Secret Societies and the best-selling “Miracles” series. An ordained minister, Sherry has served as a counselor to troubled youth, the homeless, migrant workers, and families in need of crisis intervention. With her background in nursing and theology, Sherry began researching alternative health issues and mysteries of the unknown in the 1960s, and she cofounded and produced the highly acclaimed Celebrate Life, a multimedia experiential presentation and workshop program.
A LSO FROM V ISIBLE I NK P RESS
Angels A to Z, 2nd Edition by Evelyn Dorothy Oliver and James R Lewis, ISBN: 978-1-57859-212-8
Armageddon Now: The End of the World A to Z by Jim Willis and Barbara Willis, ISBN: 978-1-57859-168-8
The Astrology Book: The Encyclopedia of Heavenly Influences , 2nd Edition by James R Lewis, ISBN: 978-1-57859-144-2
Conspiracies and Secret Societies: The Complete Dossier by Brad Steiger and Sherry Hansen Steiger, ISBN: 978-1-57859-174-9
The Dream Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition by James R Lewis and Evelyn Dorothy Oliver, ISBN: 978-1-57859-216-6
Encyclopedia of Christmas by Tanya Gulevich, ISBN: 978-0-78080-455-5
The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena by J. Gordon Melton, ISBN: 978-1-57859-209-8
The Fortune-Telling Book: The Encyclopedia of Divination and Soothsaying by Raymond Buckland, ISBN: 978-1-57859-147-3
The Handy Religion Answer Book by John Renard, ISBN: 978-1-57859-125-1
Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places by Brad Steiger, ISBN: 978-1-57859-146-6
Real Miracles, Divine Intervention, and Feats of Incredible Survival by Brad Steiger and Sherry Hansen Steiger, ISBN: 978-1-57859-214-2
The Religion Book: Places, Prophets, Saints, and Seers by Jim Willis, ISBN: 978-1-57859-151-0
The Spirit Book: The Encyclopedia of Clairvoyance, Channeling, and Spirit Communication by Raymond Buckland, ISBN: 978-1-57859-172-5
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead, 2nd Edition by J. Gordon Melton, ISBN: 978-1-57859-071-1
The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings by Brad Steiger, ISBN: 978-1-57859-078-0
The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-paganism by Raymond Buckland, ISBN: 978-1-57859-114-5
Please visit us at visibleink.com .

Copyright © 2009 by Brad and Sherry Steiger ®
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper.
All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.
Visible Ink Press ® 43311 Joy Rd., #414 Canton, MI 48187-2075
Visible Ink Press is a registered trademark of Visible Ink Press LLC.
Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more information, contact Special Market Director, Visible Ink Press, www.visibleink.com or [phone].
Project Manager: Kevin Hile Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski Typesetting: Marco Di Vita Proofreader: Sarah Hermsen Indexer: Lawrence W. Baker
IISBN 978-1-57859-214-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
C ONTENTS
Introduction
Index
NATURAL DISASTERS
Cold, Snow and Ice
Earthquakes
Floods
Hurricanes and Tsunamis
Lightning Strikes
Strikes
Tornadoes
ACCIDENTS
Airline Crashes
Danger at Sea
Drowning
Explosions and Fires
Falls from Great Heights
Highway Incidents
Miracles on the Train Tracks
Buried Alive
AMAZING ANIMALS
Animal Attacks
Sharks!
Animal Rescuers
Animal Survivors
LOST AND ALONE
Reunited
Surviving on Their Own
Pet Survival in the Wilderness
MEDICAL MIRACLES
Babies and Infants
Comas—Coming Back to Life
It Takes Brains
Guns and Bullets
Stabbings and Foreign Objects
Amazing Recoveries
Handicapable Heroes
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES
Angelic Intervention
Near-Death Experiences
The Power of Prayer
Shrines and Sacred Places
Spirits Who Come Back to Help
I NTRODUCTION
J on Butler, a Yale University professor of American history, defined miracles as physical events that defy the laws of nature. “Most miracles have some physical manifestation that is evident not only to the individuals involved, but may be evident to the people around them,” he said. “The catch is, how do you explain it?”
Many choose to explain miracles as religious experiences. Miracle stories are found in all the world’s religions whose traditions include historical accounts of wonder-working saints and sages. The ancient acts of divine intervention in human affairs are celebrated regularly by the faithful who gather in churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout the world. Both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are filled with miracles and wonders performed by prophets, angels, and God. So, too, does the Qur’an contain accounts of countless miracles, thus enabling the contemporary followers of Islam to expect such occurrences as proof of the validity of their faith. Islamic theologians have established two basic kinds of miracles: the mu’jizat (prophetic miracles) and the karamat (those wonders performed by holy people and saints).
Contemporary Jews, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, and Muslims still pray for and expect miraculous occurrences in their own lives today, as demonstrated in several surveys. For example, on November 29, 2007, the Harris Poll released the findings of a survey of U.S. adults conducted between November 7 and 13, 2007. The poll found that 82 percent believed in God; 74 percent believed in angels; and 79 percent believed in miracles.
But the belief in miracles is not necessarily limited to those who adhere to a specific religion. The May 1, 2000, issue of Newsweek carried the result of a poll that stated that 84 percent of American adults believe that God performs miracles, and 48 percent claim to have witnessed one. Interestingly, 43 percent of those polled belonged to no religious body at all, but they admitted that they had on occasion prayed for God’s intervention. In another example, from May through August 2007, Pew’s Religious Landscape Survey questioned 35,000 Americans, nearly 30 percent of whom professed no denominational religious identity. This major survey, released in June 2008, found that U.S. adults believe overwhelmingly in God (92 percent), and 58 percent stated that they prayed at least once a day.
Despite such popular faith in miracles, the Roman Catholic Church does not treat claims about miracles lightly. Contrary to those skeptics who suggest that the Church is likely to accept nearly all claims of miracles as genuine, many careful steps are taken by various committees to authenticate a miracle. Father Frederick Jelly, a professor of systematic theology at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, has served on miracles committees. He listed the questions typically asked by the Church before it authenticates a miracle:
What is the psychological state of the person claiming the miracle?
Is there a profit motive behind the miracle claim?
What is the character of the person who is claiming the miracle?
Does the miracle contain any elements contrary to scripture or faith?
What are the spiritual fruits of the miracle; i.e., does it attract people to prayer or to acts of greater charity?
Once these questions have been determined and reviewed, the committee makes its decision as to whether or not the event was heaven-inspired. If the committee decides the event is miraculous and its implications have national or international effect, the case may be referred to the Vatican’s Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. The Sacred Congregation has the authority to institute a new investigation and make its own ruling and recommendation to the Pope, who is the final arbiter of miracles.
By no means do Roman Catholics have a monopoly on religious visions and miracles. In October 2000, a Lutheran minister and a sociologist in Minnesota released their study that more than 30 percent of 2000 Protestant Christians surveyed said that they had had dramatic visions, heard heavenly voices, or experienced prophetic dreams.
In April 2001, details of research conducted at the University of Wales detected a common core to religious experiences that crosses boundaries of culture and faith. An analysis of 6,000 such experiences revealed that Christians may describe a religious experience as an encounter with Jesus, Mary, or an angel; Muslims also often interpret the phenomenon as the presence of an angel; and Jews describe the event as a sign of insight or an experience of God.
As one might imagine, the scientific community has also studied claims about religious experiences and other miracles. Philadelphia scientist Andrew Newberg, author of Why God Won’t Go A